Working patterns. No promises.
How to hand a matter over before the context gets lost: calls, inboxes, documents and requests in a small business.
- CallsGetting ready for an AI receptionist: what it needs to know firstEight things to write down before an AI receptionist takes its first call, message versus booking, and when it should hand a matter to a person.
- ProcessesEcommerce returns without the chaos: from enquiry to closeSeven steps for ecommerce returns, from first enquiry to closed case. Cancellations and complaints follow separate UK routes, with a named owner per step.
- SalesB2B prospecting without guesswork: start before the first lineStart B2B prospecting with a dated public signal, not a clever first line. Set the account, signal, hypothesis and an explicit status for every contact.
- ProcessesShared inbox handover: pass emails on without losing contextKeep the original email, add a short working note, name who owns the next step and log the handover, so nobody has to rebuild the case from scratch.
- ProcessesService requests without the chaos: from form to named ownerLog each service request in one case record, mark missing details as missing and name who owns the next step, so the team knows what to do next.
- ProcessesDocument workflow: passing on invoices without chasing contextPass an invoice or service request on with the minimum it needs: the source kept, a named owner, the next step stated and any gaps marked as missing.
- CallsMissed calls: how to design handling that doesn't stall the teamA missed call should leave a case with the reason for the call, contact details, an owner, a deadline and a status, not a vague promise to call back.
- ProcessesAutomation doesn't start with AI. It starts with one process.Start automation with one repeated process that has an owner and a measure. Set the exceptions and the handover to a person before choosing an AI tool.
- ProcessesBefore you hire, measure the work hiding in your spreadsheetsMeasure a repeatable task for a week before hiring. Mostly judgement means hire; mostly rework means tidy the process; clear rules mean automate one step.
- CallsHow to test an AI phone assistant before it takes its first callTest an AI phone assistant by its results, not its voice: rehearse seven call situations and check each ticket against what the caller said.